The alders have been working with city staff for several months to develop a framework which would permit homeowners to rent overnight rooms or their entire house to visitors.

Such rentals are rapidly growing in popularity due to Web sites like AirBnB and VRBO, but their current legality in the city is unclear. Under the proposed legislation, tourist rooming house operators would need a conditional use permit, health permit, would need to pay room tax, and be separated from another rooming house or bed & breakfast by at least 500 feet. (Health permits and room tax payments are already required by state statute.)

The alders want to give neighbors a say in the process and to hear about the opportunities for income and authentic experiences, as well as concerns about neighborhood safety and density of such rentals before moving forward with the legislation.

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